new zealand – JB's Wine Talk

Remarkable Old World Styled Chardonnay From New Zealand’s Kumeu River

Today’s Story: Kumeu River Wines

Kumeu River Wines is a highly regarded family-owned winery located near the town of Kumeu about 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) from central Auckland, New Zealand. The estate was established in 1944 by Mick and Katé Brajkovich, who immigrated to New Zealand from the small Croatian village of Živogošće in 1937. The Brajkovich family had practice tending to vines and making wine in Croatia, so they used this experience along with their son Maté by working vineyards and orchards in West Auckland until they could purchase their own small vineyard in Kumeu. Though Mick unfortunately passed away in 1949, Katé and Maté continued working their family property known as San Marino Vineyards and produced wines which they also sold. Maté and his wife Melba, whom he met during the late 1950s, had four children named Michael, Marijana, Milan, and Paul and they grew up amongst the vines on the family’s property. This instilled in them a passion for the family business, and they are all involved to this day.

During the 1980s, Kumeu River Wines really started to get its name and justifiable great reputation. Maté moved away from the hybrid varieties that produced rather basic fortified or still wines and shifted toward Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc which were uncommon in the region at the time. Following the 1983 vintage which Michael spent in France, the family business rebranded as Kumeu River Wines and started focusing extensively on an Old World (or “Burgundy”) style Chardonnay. The family started producing their Chardonnay with indigenous yeasts and whole cluster pressing, with the wines seeing extended aging on the lees as well. Accolades came pouring in, and to this day Kumeu River Wines is most famous for this Chardonnay which strikes up there with some of the White Burgundy greats in blind tastings.

Today, the Kumeu River Wines estate consists of 30 hectares (74 acres) though the family sources fruit from trusted growers on another 10 hectares (25 acres). Soil here is dominated by clay with a sandstone base, which makes water holding capabilities fairly strong and eliminates the need for irrigation. All the grapes are harvested by hand as well, ensuring only the highest-quality fruit makes it into the end product. At the end of the day, Kumeu River Wines produces about 21,000 cases per vintage with the bulk of the portfolio made up of exceptional Old World styled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Today’s Wine: 2017 Estate Chardonnay

100% Chardonnay; 13.5% ABV

The 2017 Estate Chardonnay is pale gold in color. This really starts to sing given about 45 minutes to open up in the glass. The aromas are of pronounced intensity, with the rather deep nose showcasing notes of Meyer lemon, yellow apple, underripe pear, white lily, flint, popcorn kernel, seashell, mild smoke, and saline mineral. This comes across fairly reductive overall. Meanwhile the flavors are also of pronounced intensity, with the palate displaying notes of peach, lemon zest, green apple, mango, dried pineapple, crushed stone, wet flint, mild green herbs, and a hint of brine. This dry white is medium-bodied with medium (+) acidity, medium alcohol, and a medium (+) length finish. Certainly has a few years left, but this is very enjoyable now.

Price: $33. This offers great value, and you might be able to find it even cheaper depending on location. The intensity, complexity, and length here are all great which culminates into a very rewarding wine.

If this wine seems like something you might enjoy, you may find this link helpful in locating it.

Mind-Boggling Complexity Out of a New Zealand Syrah

Today’s Story: Bilancia

Bilancia is a small winery and estate established by Lorraine Leheny and Warren Gibson in 1997 in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. Lorraine and Warren are both winemakers by trade and studied at Roseworthy Agricultural College in South Australia, ultimately making wines in Australia, Hungary, Italy, California, France, and Portugal between the two of them. Bilancia’s focal point is a 6 hectare (15 acre) vineyard known as La Collina, and it is planted to Syrah, Viognier, Chardonnay, and a small amount of Gewürztraminer. Bilancia also sources Pinot Gris from Black Bridge Estate and other high-quality fruit from several renowned Hawke’s Bay vineyards.

I previously reviewed the 2007 La Collina Syrah, an earlier vintage of the wine I am reviewing today.

Today’s Wine: 2016 La Collina Syrah

100% Syrah; 13% ABV

The 2016 La Collina Syrah is deep ruby in color with garnet hues along the rim of the glass. I decanted this for about an hour and it changed drastically over the course of consumption. The aromas are of pronounced intensity, with the incredibly deep and complex nose showcasing notes of blueberry, dehydrated plum, blackberry, anise, violet, gunsmoke, incense, cracked black pepper, scorched earth, black tea, cinnamon, dried vanilla bean, and clove. The flavors are also pronounced and the palate is equally complex, offering up notes of blueberry, blackberry, spiced plum, sweet tobacco, bacon fat, licorice, charred green herbs, black olive, cracked green peppercorn, volcanic rock, milk chocolate, mild toasted oak, clove, and a hint of smoke. This dry red is full-bodied with medium (+) acidity, medium (+) but fine-grained tannins, medium alcohol, and a long finish.

Price: $95. This wine is absolutely worth its price and, while not cheap, offers great value. The depth and complexity is truly mind-boggling, all wrapped together in a well-balanced wine that finishes quite long. The incense aroma is quite captivating on its own.

New Zealand Riesling That Offers Exceptional QPR

Today’s Story: Te Whare Ra

Te Whare Ra is a small family-owned winery established in 1979 but under the guide of winemakers Anna and Jason Flowerday since 2003. TWR’s vineyard is one of the oldest in Marlborough and consists of 11 hectares planted to Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. Anna and Jason manage their vineyard adhering to organic and biodynamic principles, while also practicing minimal intervention in the cellar. The duo keeps their yields low, all fruit is hand-picked and hand-sorted, no chemicals are used in the vineyards, and the wine is made as naturally as possible with no fining agents, chemical tannins, or chemical yeast nutrients added. TWR is a founding member of Marlborough Natural Winegrowers (MANA) and is certified organic by BIOGRO NZ. To learn more about TWR’s farming and winemaking practices, explore their portfolio, or meet the team (including their cows and dogs), check out the website here.

I previously wrote about the 2014 Pinot Noir SV5182 from TWR, which is another very solid value and beautiful representation of terroir.

Today’s Wine: 2018 Riesling “D” SV5182

100% Riesling; 12.5% ABV

The 2018 Riesling “D” SV5182 is medium straw in color. Aromas are of pronounced intensity, and the nose showcases notes of lime zest, white peach, grapefruit, jasmine, petrol, limestone, and saline. Meanwhile the flavors are of medium (+) intensity, and the palate displays notes of lemon, lime zest, grapefruit, white florals, exotic white spice, and beeswax. This dry Riesling is light- to medium-bodied with high acidity, medium alcohol, and a long finish. 235 cases produced.

Price: $20. This is a very, very strong value play and should only get better with a few more years of cellar age. This wine’s balance, length, and intensity team up to strike above the price-point and, though this is hard to find, I’d buy it if you come across it.

Top-Notch and Beautifully-Aged New Zealand Syrah

Today’s Story: Bilancia

Today’s Wine: 2007 La Collina Syrah

100% Syrah; 13.5% ABV

The 2007 La Collina Syrah is deep garnet in color but it’s still holding onto some deep ruby hues as well. The aromas are of medium intensity, and the nose showcases notes of blueberry, blackberry, anise, forest floor, truffle, milk chocolate, and dried green herbs. Meanwhile the flavors are also of medium intensity and the palate displays notes of blueberry, dried plum, sweet tobacco, earthy mushroom, cracked green peppercorn, chocolate, and mild spice. This dry red is medium-bodied with medium acidity, medium (-) tannins, medium alcohol, and a long finish. The tertiary characteristics are certainly pronounced in this beautifully-aged Syrah, however the fruit is still very much alive and well.

Price: $85. Given the age on this and the rarity of the wine, I think this is very fairly priced. This is drinking beautifully right now and I would argue has a few years left, but the balance, purity, and length of the wine all speak to the high quality.

Young but High Quality New Zealand Pinot Noir

Today’s Story: Burn Cottage

Burn Cottage is a family-owned wine estate and farm established in 2003 by Marquis and Dianne Sauvage in the foothills of the Pisa range in Central Otago, New Zealand. The Sauvage family purchased the property in 2002, but it was previously unplanted and used by sheep for grazing with no surrounding vineyard neighbors. The property consists of 24 hectares (59 acres) with roughly 10 hectares (25 acres) planted to vineyards, and all farming and viticultural activity is biodynamic and has been since the beginning. Though the vineyards are planted mainly to Pinot Noir, there are also small plots of Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. The rest of the land is home to livestock, beehives, olive groves, forests, and native vegetation. Marquis and Dianne sought out Ted Lemon of Littorai in Sebastopol, CA to help make their wines and, with a shared vision and philosophy, Ted joined the team. Winemaking is described as minimally invasive, relying on native yeast fermentation by vineyard block and minimal sulfur additions throughout the process. Once all vineyard blocks fully mature, production will peak around 5,000 cases per vintage.

To explore the range of Burn Cottage wines, view pictures of the estate, or read more in-depth information, visit their website here.

Today’s Wine: 2017 Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir

100% Pinot Noir; 13.5% ABV

The 2017 Burn Cottage Vineyard Pinot Noir is medium ruby in color. Given about 30-45 minutes in the glass, the wine opens up nicely. Aromas are of medium intensity, with the nose showcasing notes of black cherry, spiced plum, violets, leather, dried green herbs, baking spice, and toasted oak. Flavors are also of medium intensity, and the palate displays notes of black cherry, plum, strawberry, thyme, smoke, and oaky spice. This dry red is medium-bodied with medium (+) acidity, medium (-) tannins, medium alcohol, and a medium (+) length finish. Very good and enjoyable now, but will improve greatly in another 3-5 years.

Price: $70. I think this is relatively fairly-priced, though I can’t go so far as to say it’s a great “value” at this price point. It reminds me of a number of the California “cult” Pinot Noir bottlings I’ve had, so this could be a good exploration bottle for those who like high quality California Pinot Noir but want to explore New Zealand.

Biodynamic New Zealand Pinot Noir With an Old World Flair

Today’s Story: Quartz Reef Wines

Quartz Reef is a relatively small winery established in Bendigo in the Central Otago region of New Zealand. The winery is named for its vineyards being planted on the largest quartz deposit in New Zealand, with the vines planted in 1998 and their first Pinot Noir bottled in 2001. Quartz Reef is known for their Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Methode Traditionnelle, however winemaker Rudi Bauer crafts small amounts of Chardonnay and Grüner Veltliner as well. In 2007, Quartz Reef started transitioning to biodynamic viticulture and today is one of only six New Zealand wineries certified biodynamic by Demeter. Rudi makes all his wines following traditional methods through minimal intervention in the cellar, attempting to showcase the fruit and terroir in the most natural way possible while marrying Old World and New World characteristics.

To learn more and view photos of the estate (and the winemaking puppies), visit the Quartz Reef website here.

Today’s Wine: 2017 Bendigo Estate Pinot Noir

100% Pinot Noir; 14% ABV

The 2017 Bendigo Estate Pinot Noir is pale to medium ruby in color and almost opaque. I let this blossom in the glass for about 30-45 minutes, with the incredibly Burgundian nose showcasing aromas of black cherry, plum, black raspberry, leather, smoked game meat, barnyard, forest floor, gravel, and light oak. The palate kicks off with a very similar fruit profile to the nose with black cherry, plum, and brambly strawberry before branching into notes of violet, tobacco, damp loamy soil, green peppercorn, black tea leaf, underbrush, baking spice (like allspice or clove), and oak. This is light- to medium-bodied with medium acidity, medium (-) and somewhat dusty tannins, and a medium (+) length finish.

Price: $40 average (I paid $30). Very strong value here, particularly if you can find it for around $30 like I did. This is my second time having this wine and it is as impressive as the first. While no doubt young and starting to enter its drinking window, this is both incredibly approachable and capable of going another 5-7 years. Great Old World experience with this wine and a beautiful representation of the terroir.

Burgundian Elegance From… New Zealand?

Today’s Story: Greywacke

Greywacke was established by Kevin and Kimberley Judd in 2009 in the Marlborough wine region of New Zealand. Though Greywacke itself is a young venture, Kevin is deeply rooted in the New Zealand wine world. After studying wine at Roseworthy College in Australia, he moved to New Zealand in 1983 to join Selaks Wines and later moved on to become the founding winemaker at Cloudy Bay. After 25 vintages leading Cloudy Bay, Kevin established Greywacke which is named for the layered sandstone and mudstone rocks that can be found throughout New Zealand. Greywacke’s fruit is sourced from vineyards in the central Wairau Plains and the Southern Valleys, while Kevin makes the wines themselves at Dog Point Winery in the lower Brancott Valley. Though Greywacke focuses on Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, they also release limited quantities of Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Gewürztraminer.

To learn more about Greywacke and explore their range of wines, visit the website here (also the source of today’s information).

Today’s Wine: 2015 Chardonnay

100% Chardonnay; 14% ABV

The 2015 Chardonnay is transparent medium yellow in color with gold and slightly greenish hues. Given some time to blossom in the glass, the wine opens to display a nose of white peach, stone fruit, pineapple, matchstick, dill, lightly buttered popcorn, hazelnut, and vanilla. On the palate, we get notes of lemon zest, golden apple, crisp pear, white florals, slate, nuts, smoke, and brioche toast. This is a medium- to full-bodied Chardonnay with medium (+) acidity and a well-rounded mouthfeel leading into a long, mouthwatering finish. An absolutely gorgeous wine, and rather Burgundian in profile.

Price: $28 (typically closer to $40). At the price I paid, I’m very tempted to say this is perhaps the greatest value Chardonnay I’ve purchased to date. The purity and focus in this wine is outstanding for its price point (and well above it), while the Burgundian nature really makes me want to slip this into a blind tasting. Even at $40, this is certainly a wine I would add to my cellar.

High Quality New Zealand Pinot Noir

Today’s Story: Fromm Winery

Fromm Winery was established in 1992 by Georg Fromm and winemaker Hätsch Kalberer, with the intent of producing European-styled wines of Pinot Noir, Syrah, Malbec, Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Gewürztraminer. The vineyards and wines are 100% organic, and Fromm believes in allowing the fruit and terroir to speak for themselves rather than being heavy-handed in the cellar. The vineyards are densely planted, they do not use any artificial chemicals, and refrain from irrigating the vineyards so the vines struggle and produce quality, terroir-driven fruit. Though Georg Fromm returned to his native Switzerland in 2008 to tend to his family winery, Fromm Winery today is under the watchful eyes of family friend and owner Pol Lenzinger, co-owner Stephan Walliser, and George Walliser.

Today’s Wine: 2017 Cuvée H Pinot Noir

100% Pinot Noir; 13.5% ABV

The 2017 Cuvée H Pinot Noir is pale to medium ruby in color and translucent. Once this opens up, the nose showcases aromas of black cherry, strawberry, licorice, forest floor, gravel, mixed herbs, mild baking spice, and vanilla. On the palate, the wine displays notes of plum, pomegranate, wild raspberry, strawberry licorice, lightly smoked game, loamy earth, finely crushed rock, and light oak. This is medium-bodied with medium acidity, medium (-) tannins, and a medium (+) finish.

Price: $35. This wine offers great QPR, drinking with both quality and depth while coming across quite Burgundian in style. Pair with roasted chicken, Beef Wellington, or quail.

Elegant New Zealand Pinot Noir

Today’s Story: Te Whare Ra

Today’s Wine: 2014 Pinot Noir SV5182

100% Pinot Noir; 13.5% ABV

The 2014 Pinot Noir SV5182 is pale ruby in color and moderately transparent. I simply let this open in the glass for about 30 minutes and the nose showcases aromas of black cherry, raspberry, blue florals, leather, loamy earth, savory herbs, cinnamon, and peppered game. Once on the palate, the wine displays notes of blueberry, black raspberry, ripe cherry, spicy plum, tobacco, forest floor, wet stone, dried green herbs, and violet. This Pinot is medium-bodied with medium acidity, fine-grained medium (-) tannins, and a long finish. 129 cases produced.

Price: $40. This is elegant and of superb quality, while also being a fun exploratory wine since I haven’t had much Pinot Noir from New Zealand. The fact that this is a “natural” wine adds another delightful dimension. Pair this with duck breast, pulled pork, or baked chicken.